Various devices, such as shoulder slings, have been used in the medical industry to support an arm of a person after an injury, illness, surgery or during rehabilitation. Due to the variety of diverse applications for arm supports, immobilization devices have been designed for various conditions. However, different diagnoses commonly require different immobilization positions of the arm. For example, following an anterior shoulder dislocation, the arm may be immobilized in a sling with the arm positioned in adduction and internal rotation. In contrast, following a posterior shoulder dislocation, the arm may be immobilized in a sling with the arm positioned in a slight abduction and external rotation.
FIG. 1 shows a traditional arm immobilization device 10, e.g., a sling, which generally includes a sleeve or pouch 12 for receiving the forearm and/or elbow and a shoulder and/or neck strap 14 which fits around the shoulder or neck of the person to support the weight of the arm. Some arm immobilization devices 10 can include a pouch 12 and strap 14 in combination with a side bolster 16 and side strap 18 to provide additional support to the arm, e.g., a DonJoy ULTRASLING®. However, the shoulder and/or neck straps of slings generally create a substantial amount of pressure on the shoulder or neck due to the weight of the arm being supported.
FIG. 2 shows an alternative traditional arm immobilization device 20, e.g., a sling, which generally includes a sleeve or pouch 22 for receiving the forearm and/or elbow and a shoulder and/or neck strap 24. Some arm immobilization devices 20 can include a side bolster 26 and a side strap 28 which allow positioning of the arm in various angles depending on the shape of the bolster 26, e.g., a DonJoy ULTRASLING® III. For example, the device 20 of FIG. 2 may be implemented to position the arm at approximately 15 degrees of abduction and approximately 30 degrees of internal rotation. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm is positioned in abduction.
Similarly, FIG. 3 shows an alternative traditional arm immobilization device 30 which generally includes arm straps 32, a shoulder and/or neck strap 34, a bolster 36 and a side strap 38. The arm straps 32 can be fastened around the arm and can be further secured to the bolster 36 to position in arm in various angles around the bolster 36.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show front and top views of an alternative traditional arm immobilization device 40 which generally includes a sleeve or pouch 42, a shoulder and/or neck strap 44, a bolster 46 and a side strap 48. The device 40 of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be implemented to position the arm at predetermined degrees of external and internal rotation. For example, FIGS. 4 and 5 show the arm secured in an external rotation position. However, the traditional arm immobilization devices of FIGS. 1-5 can typically only place the arm in a single position with no ability to adjust abduction, adduction, internal rotation and/or external rotation positioning. In addition, these devices typically do not provide precise immobilization of the injured or recovering arm and/or shoulder and can be challenging with respect to adjusting the positioning of the arm.
FIGS. 6 and 7A-7C show an alternative traditional arm immobilization device 50 which generally includes a sleeve or pouch 52, a shoulder and/or neck strap 54, a bolster 56 and a side strap 58. The bolster 56 can be a modifiable bolster 56, allowing the arm to be placed in different positions of internal rotation, a neutral position or external rotation, e.g., a Breg SLINGSHOT®3. The modifiable bolster 56 can be constructed from two parts or wedges, e.g., a first wedge 56a and a second wedge 56b, which, when constructed in the different configurations shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, allow different positions of the arm to be obtained. For example, FIG. 7A shows the bolster 56 configured for a neutral position of the arm, FIG. 7B shows the bolster 56 configured for an external rotation position of the arm, and FIG. 7C shows the bolster 56 configured for an internal rotation of the arm. However, the modifiable positions are generally fixed to only three different positions of the bolster 56 and provide no adjustability in abduction.
FIG. 8 shows an alternative traditional arm immobilization device 60 which generally includes an arm support 62, a shoulder and/or neck strap 64, a thorax brace 66 and side straps 68. The device 60 of FIG. 8 generally requires a substantial amount of thorax bracing and/or metal components to provide the desired support to the arm, thereby complicating adjustment of the degree of internal or external rotation of the arm.
Thus, a need exists for arm immobilization devices and associated methods which substantially reduce the pressure to the shoulder, neck and/or upper torso of the person and provide convenient means for adjusting the position of the arm being supported. These and other needs are addressed by the devices and methods of the present disclosure.